Football: Venables hints at green light for Le Tissier

MATTHEW LE TISSIER is set for a full England debut against Romania at Wembley next Wednesday. The England manager Terry Venables hinted yesterday at a call-up for the gifted Southampton player, who has been limited to entries from the bench for his country.

Le Tissier is seen as the perfect replacement for Tottenham's Darren Anderton, who will be out for a month. 'Darren and David Platt have been influential figures since I took over but both will be missing against Romania with injuries,' Venables said. 'Darren's absence may enhance Matthew's chances of playing. He has started the season superbly.'

Venables will wait until after the Saturday Premiership programme before calling up squad reinforcements, and even then his plans may be damaged by injuries to players involved in the Newcastle- Blackburn match on Sunday.

Venables will also be observing events the day before at White Hart Lane, where Tottenham entertain QPR. Gerry Francis, the QPR manager, will carry out a fitness test on Les Ferdinand, named in Venables' squad, before naming his side. The striker picked up a thigh injury in Wednesday night's Coca-Cola Cup victory over Carlisle.

Manchester United's injury problems mounted with the news that Roy Keane could be out for six weeks. The Irish international has been booked into hospital for a hernia operation.

Peter Shilton will be continuing as Plymouth player- manager despite a public disagreement with his chairman, Dan McCauley. Shilton emerged from a lengthy board meeting yesterday saying: 'I have asked for a public apology from the chairman after he alleged that I only work eight hours a week.'

He was later followed by board spokesman Ivor Jones, who said he thought McCauley would be unlikely to issue an apology but that Shilton would be continuing as manager. 'I want to concentrate on getting on with the job,' Shilton said.

Arsenal and Chelsea, who faced Premiership matches two days after European games, have had their problems eased. Chelsea face Austria Vienna at home on 20 October, the same night as Arsenal play Brondby in Denmark. Now both clubs have had their Premier games switched to the Sunday.

Franz Beckenbauer, the subject of recent speculation regarding a possible successor to Ossie Ardiles at Tottenham, is expected to receive the go-ahead to stand as chairman of Bayern Munich. Bayern's board meet to decide on a candidate to put before the club's members at a meeting next month.